Essence Of Infinity
by BlueHot Chronicles
Summary: The summer before Dumbledore's death, Harry Potter frequented one diner. The summer after that, Death Eaters stalked a lone young waitress to her home and Voldemort gained a new weapon. AU, Multiple POVs. OFC, OMC. Sequel to Storm and The Half-Blood Prince
1. Chapter 1

**Essence Of Infinity**

 **By BlueHot Chronicles**

 _Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of BlueHot Chronicles. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended._

 **Author's Note:**

Jasmine (as I've named her) is an unnamed character from the Harry Potter movies. I've written about her before under my original pseudonym Bluehot, but I'm going to delete that account plus rewrite and edit the stories (not all) that I've published there. I had been leaning toward not republishing those stories here on this account, but one reader has recently asked that I continue the story Promises And Lies - Awww - so I will try.

This story is AU and an X-Men crossover; it is also a Sequel to Storm & The Half-Blood Prince. To be honest I'm clueless as to why this story clung to me; it made me pause in a Charmed crossover I've been working on, to write this story to its completion.

 **Summary:**

The summer before Dumbledore's death, Harry Potter frequented one diner. The summer after that, Death Eaters stalked a lone young waitress to her home and Voldemort gained a new weapon. AU, Multiple POVs. OFC, OMC.

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

 **Chapter One**

"Crucio!"

Screams. Hair-raising, heart-wrenching cries of pain and terror.

Severus looked on at the torture of the Dark Lord's new victim. His mien was one of practised boredom. Deep inside where Voldemort could never penetrate, he raged at the necessity of his position as a spy.

Otherwise, they'd all be dead, including the Dark Lord who'd probably return to his wraith form. But, no... Voldemort _had_ to be killed by the wand of Harry Potter. Severus himself wanted to kill the foolish boy.

 _Potter_ \- Merlin curse the bloody idiot - had left the safety of his home over the summer the year before to constantly patronise a muggle diner. There, he'd met the unfortunate female currently in the midst of a circle of Death Eaters; the Dark Lord among them.

 _"prerë dhe shqyej!"_

The tortured screams were finally silenced as her throat was ripped out as if by the claws of an animal, and Severus felt both saddened and relieved that her pain was over.

He was wrong.

Severus watched in horror - the other Death Eaters, in fascination; the Dark Lord, in glee - as the girl's wounds began to heal before their eyes and she took a deep ragged breath. For one brief moment, Severus allowed his mask to slip as his eyes closed in resignation.

His flare of hope to be caught and killed immediately was dashed, as everyone was too focused on the non-magickal miracle happening before them.

Death was not coming for this young girl, and he knew the Dark Lord would want him to find out why, and possibly recreate it with a potion.

 _Bloody, foolish Potter!_

He had done this! Everything that was about to happen was that boy's fault, all of it.

Severus knew he wouldn't be surprised if Potter had been careless on purpose, hoping to keep the Dark Lord away from his pathetic friends and that Weasley girl who kept making eyes at him.

The Potions Master swore to himself that when all this was over, and if by some happy twist of fate they were all still alive, he would make Harry Potter pay for this day and those to follow.

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

 **A/N: Bold letters in this section are memories. Italics are for** **thoughts** **and** **emphasis** **. Words enclosed in ~ and * are telepathic thoughts.**

Three weeks later and Severus wanted to... briefly... shake Potter's hand for his selfishness.

"What day is it?"

Severus found that the cauldron's hypnotic sounds were almost obscene in the dark and, surprisingly quiet, Malfoy dungeon. The potion continued bubbling away merrily as he added a teaspoon of Motherwort and a pinch of Fairy Wing dust. He stirred the lilac - for now - coloured concoction using the infinity motion for the next few stirs.

The girl had been placed within a Solitary Ward conjured in the dungeon, per Severus' request, to prevent mistakes with the potion the Dark Lord had demanded he create.

 **"This muggle female is my best weapon yet in defeating Harry Potter. You, Severus, will find a way to transfer her power to me."**

 **"Of course, my Lord."**

Severus had made excuses for needing her healthy and readily available to him. Citing that the fresher her blood, the more potent his potion should be. The Dark Lord had obliged, and the girl had been magickally cut off and concealed from the rest of the dungeon.

Severus had thought of and discarded numerous plans of smuggling the girl away from the clutches of the Dark Lord. The outcome of his plans all ended the same in his mind... with them being caught and tortured; he forced to make the potion anyway, and then death.

Unfortunately, Severus' reasoning was actually one of selfishness. He _wanted_ to create the potion. It would be his shining glory, academically, and he could have a fresh start, a second chance at a better life for himself.

He was sorry though, that the girl had to be used this way. There was no way around it. He had no plans of giving the potion to the Dark Lord and he already knew how he was going to switch it for the one he'd started long ago.

Once the Dark Lord consumed that potion, he would be magickally weakened and he would never know - well - not immediately. His spells would seem as powerful as ever but like the muggles say, he would be shooting blanks.

This delightful moment was some time away though, and - quite disturbingly - his constant and close proximity, along with him being her only visitor, had impelled the girl to form an attachment to him.

 **At first, she'd been terrified of him, but her actions remained strange and familiar. When she constantly tried to ward him off by aiming her fists or her open palms at him, he'd finally realised. She'd been trying to use some form of magick on him.**

 **She finally admitted that she didn't actually have magick and that she thought the danger she was in would have been enough to make magick or** _ **something**_ **emerge.**

 **"I guess healing was all I got."**

 **Severus heard a note of disappointment and wondered what she meant by the statement.**

 **Once he knew what to look for, he could sense the magick within her. It was not the same frequency as a wizard, but something entirely different. He'd warned her that to continue her efforts, especially in the presence of any of the other Death Eaters, would be even more dangerous to the both of them. He told her nothing about her weird latent magick.**

 **"Besides, even if you had any magick, the dampening crystals buried throughout the dungeons would prevent you from using it."**

The barrier he'd placed around himself and his workstation was the only spot in the dungeon any magick would work.

"It is Friday," he finally replied to her usual query, once he sensed that no one was nearby to witness their exchange.

"Wouldn't the Motherwort neutralize the effects of the Fairy Wing dust?"

Severus allowed a hint of approval to glimmer in his eyes as he glanced at her before quickly returning his gaze to the cauldron.

"Not if I do the appropriate number of stirs - infinity, as you can see - then add three teaspoons of Elf Leaf gel, each added separately after twenty Infinity stirs." He added one teaspoon of Elf Leaf and began another set of stirring. "Like so."

Severus stirred the potion smoothly as he absently counted. He couldn't help but feel a spark of appreciation for the girl's genuine willingness to learn. And she was learning, evidenced by the foreknowledge she showed of the effects of one potion ingredient on another.

It saddened him that her willingness stemmed from wanting an attachment to any living being close at hand. That person had to be himself as she was left completely alone until he returned.

Thankfully, the Dark Lord had taken his recommendation seriously. Severus knew he had to have something to show for the Dark Lord's restraint.

"I don't think my mum's going to find me."

Severus almost paused in his stirring but experience kept him on track; this was not a part of her usual ramblings.

"I don't understand... they always find me."

Severus had told her about the dampening crystals when he'd realised she'd been trying to force herself to use magick, but what he _hadn't_ told her was that the Dark Lord had also placed a concealment charm and other spells on her. No one was going to find her here using magick, and a muggle wouldn't even know she existed.

"The only thing I've ever brewed is coffee."

 _Ah... we're back on track_ , Severus thought to himself.

"I used to work at a diner near King's Cross..."

The Potions Master blocked out the sound of her voice as he continued adding the Elf Leaf gel and stirring. The potion Severus was creating was actually a level ten potion; dangerous and would be labelled as banned from ever being brewed. His knowledge of the high level came from the ingredients he added or had to discard.

Severus didn't even need the girl's blood yet, as it was the last step of the potion, blood was always the last step. Everything he did now was just for show. He was going to be the one to take down the Dark Lord, and this potion was going to be his defence; the other, his weapon. To hell with Potter, and Dumbledore's _'mission'_.

The Dark Lord had killed the woman Severus had loved, after filling his head with litanies of false hope and promises of glory.

For seventeen years the Potions Master had plotted while waiting for one ingredient to mature enough for harvesting.

Voldemort was as good as dead.

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

"I used to work at a diner near King's Cross."

Jasmine could feel her mind slipping away from the present again. She wished the wizard would speak some more about his potions to keep her from losing herself, but he adamantly refused to make any more of a connection than he already had.

Just then, a shadow moved in her peripheral near the entrance to her cell, but it was just the Potions Master, who moved so silently and swiftly he was back at his cauldron before she freaked out too much.

Jasmine closed her eyes in relief; for a moment she thought it would be _him_ the man she'd nicknamed Dungeon Creep. Almost every night, once the Potions Master left or wasn't around, Dungeon Creep would approach her cell and just stand there… staring blankly, saying nothing.

Until last night.

 **"I will have you…"**

Jasmine would curl up like a ball in the corner next to her cot, and turned away from him with her hands cupped over her ears. Though she was a virgin, she knew what sex entailed, and when she heard his raspy, moaned words of **'God, I can't wait to have you writhing under me…'** , fear became like a living shroud that made every hair on her body stand on end.

 _Mum… dad… please find me!_

But...

 _Daddy had died that night… and mum would definitely be too destroyed to search for me._

The love her parents shared spanned the multiverse; rivalled only by the multitude of realities where her mother loved and married the wizard currently stirring his potion across the room.

This reality of her mother had even crossed over from another after her wizard had passed away and their son - Jasmine's stepbrother - had grown up and moved on with his life.

Her mother had found her father, and years later they'd had Jasmine. Now her father was dead; she should have been more careful about whom she spoke to, but she'd been intrigued by the boy who'd visited the diner almost every other day that summer, and then he'd finally asked her out.

 **"Harry Potter... who's Harry Potter?" she'd asked and he'd replied that Harry Potter was a nobody and a tosser.**

Ugh... she'd been so stupid! Stupid to trust him, and to agree to go out with him. She'd glimpsed the picture moving on his newspaper; Jasmine had known that the boy had to be a wizard, and still, she'd made the mistake of sharing her small magickal - laughably, almost non-existent - inheritance. Not that he'd noticed, which said a lot about either his intelligence or his state of mind at that time. However, she'd chalked it up to him being too into her.

 _Conceited much, Jazzy?_

She'd waited for him outside of the diner for fifteen minutes before giving up and going home. Jasmine had been prepared to ignore his ass for skipping on her, but she had never seen him again.

Then one night, almost a year later, she'd closed up late with Miss Anna and decided to walk the twenty-minute distance to her home alone after getting off the bus, instead of waking her father, who didn't enjoy visiting their London home.

 **The beginning of her journey had been going fine until she heard a rumble of thunder in the distance and a gust of wind rustled through the trees along the sidewalk.**

 **Five minutes away from the barrier to her mother's land, where there were no more houses nearby, and the trees on either side of the dirt road thickened, Jasmine sensed malevolent energies directed toward her. It was all the mutant ability she'd inherited from two powerful mutants, and again, she pushed aside her feelings of disappointment and inadequacy.**

 **A sharp crack of thunder accompanied her unease and Jasmine quickened her pace. There shouldn't be anyone around, anyone dangerous that is, her father would have known immediately, and taken care of any who came looking for trouble.**

 **A rustle in the bushes that had nothing to do with the increasing winds, made her glance sharply in that direction. A disgusting looking rat with a metal paw was keeping pace with her, and with no interest in finding out what kind of mutant was tracking her, Jasmine bolted.**

 **She thought she heard a muttered curse behind her as she ran, but she couldn't be sure. She was near the Wards, and once she crossed them whoever the mutant was wouldn't be able to get to her.**

 **CRACK!**

 **A beam of red light shot past her; she screamed and ducked in time to dodge another red beam.**

 **Multiple CRACKS!**

 **Her heart hammered in her chest; those weren't mutants that were still chasing her across the barrier... they were much worse.**

 **Wizards!**

 **They'd taken down her mother's Wards! Something no one, not even wizards, should have been able to do. A quick glance behind her revealed four black-cloaked figures with masks that gleamed menacingly in the darkness. She saw her home up ahead, and she did something she would, ever after, regret.**

 **"Daddy! Daddy!"**

 **"Petrificus Totales!" Jasmine's arms slammed into her sides, her legs clamped together and her body fell forward, as stiff as a statue. Fear swamped her in her helpless state and her breath caught when she felt rough hands turning her to her back.**

 **"Filthy, muggle bi-"**

 **An enraged roar bellowed from the trees and Jasmine had never felt so relieved and happy to witness a man's head roll away from his slowly slumping body. Her father stood over her protectively as she still couldn't move.**

 **"Stupefy!"**

 **That single curse poured from the remaining three wizards, slowing her father's forward charge, but he didn't stop and the wizards backed away in shock and disbelief.**

 **"Avada Kedavra!"**

 **Jasmine heard the curse from the witch standing some distance behind her. Her mind froze along with her body and time seemed to slow as her father fell backwards, his body hitting the ground beside her.**

 **She waited, forever it seemed, for him to get back up like he usually did, but he didn't move. The witch, whose face was masked like the others, gripped her hair and twisted Jasmine's head and body in a painful and awkward position.**

 **"Such resilience; but daddy shouldn't have been a filthy muggle beast and killed one such as us. The games we could have played, him and I."**

 **There lay her father, unmoving, his eyes wide open and lifeless.**

 **Jasmine screamed... and screamed. All inside.**

 **Her body was uncooperative, and tears refused to come as her heart broke.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Darkness.

Nothing.

The sweet release of... everything.

 _I have to go. I want to go._

 _Let me go._

 _What's holding me?_

 _I'm done, my time has come but... not?_

 _"Hmmm... next time, human."_

Grey... murky, foggy grey.

Disembodied whispers.

 _Was Death calling... again?_

 _Jaaamesss. Jaamess... James._

 _Is that my name? Yes, once... a long time ago._

 _Who is that? Is someone coming toward me?_

A full bodied and feminine apparition appeared misty and ethereal from the fog. Her arms opened, inviting him to her; she was enchanting... everything. Beautiful. His beauty.

Ororo.

It was difficult, but he fought to open his eyes.

"Logan!"

A head full of long, white curls pressed against his neck and a river of ringlets covered his face. Too weak to move, he moaned softly and inhaled the familiar fragrance of roses and coconut.

His wife for the past twenty years - and best friend for more years than he could count - sat up to cup his face and stroke his hair. Yeah. Death had been holding his hand if Ororo was allowing her emotions a little outlet.

Love poured from her gorgeous blue orbs, and he felt like he did the first moment he saw her cross from another reality to be with him... like the luckiest bastard to ever walk the earth.

Ororo kissed his lips gently, and he knew he had a goofy look on his face. He tried to lift his hand, but his muscles refused to work. A wave of claustrophobia swamped him; that feeling... that weakness, trapped in his body and unable to move.

"Shhh, love, you were... unconscious for a while."

Logan tried to open his mouth to ask how long, and their daughter's fate, but even that he couldn't do; he gazed at her until she could look into his eyes, which she seemed unwilling to do.

"It's been over two months, Logan, your soul had been forced out of your body. I thought you were dead, but I didn't want to give up hope; I called Soren... I'll tell you more about it later. You need to take this potion, Soren made it."

His tongue felt heavy and his throat hurt as he swallowed the thick, gooey concoction; it took him three mouthfuls to finish the tiny vial. He was drained by the third swallow and just wanted to sleep, but he forced his eyes to stay open as he stared at his wife. He needed an answer to his final question.

 _Where's Jazzy, Ororo? Where's our daughter?_

His mind began to drift as sleep claimed him, and he took his wife's whispered sobs with him.

"They took her, Logan; Voldemort and his Death Eaters have our baby, and I can't find her."

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

"Sometimes I wish my mum had let me go to a magick school."

Severus made another note in his grimoire and glanced absently at the girl before returning to his notes with a bored reply.

"I take it you're going to regale me with an anecdote about your mother's choice." Severus knew he was currently - and surprisingly - the only one in the Malfoy's home but for the prisoners, and that it was almost safe to converse with the girl.

His safety habits kept him in line though and he kept his replies short and as disinterested as possible. It was difficult, though, for the girl was intelligent for a... magickal-muggle freak.

"I only inherited a bit of my mum's magick, nothing to talk about. I'm what you would call a... a Squib?... I guess. My stepbrother's a full wizard; I think you'd call him a Half-blood anyway, even though both his parents are magickal."

"Umhmm..." Severus kept his eyes on his notes but he listened with full attention. The girl's magick was different from a normal witch, and since she said she got her magick from her mother, it meant that the woman was another race of magickal being. What was she... Demon... Elf?

"... but maybe if I'd gone to Ilvermony or Hogwarts - I got letters from both - I would have learned how to use the little bit of power I have."

"That is doubtful."

"Why?"

"I do not tolerate incompetence in my classes. While you do have a grasp of the theory of potion-making, you would never have mastered the practicals; not to mention the spells and charms for other classes. Not within the walls of a school anyway."

The girl was silent and thoughtful for a few moments.

"You mean because of all the precautions and school rules?"

"MY precautions and rules. In a class full of students, I would never take a chance on teaching a barely magickal student, which I made the mistake of doing once. It is frustrating, especially when my time is spent keeping my eye on a dunderhead who could kill us all with one wrong ingredient. With one on one tutoring, however, the danger is lessened to only two people."

"Maybe... one day you can teach me?"

Severus didn't reply. How could he? The potion just needed two more cycles of rest and simmers, three drops of the girl's blood, the first shedding of hair from the head of a newborn House-Elf - he'd been waiting for Malfoy's pregnant House-Elf to go into labour for _years_ \- and it would be complete.

Once he informed the Dark Lord, the girl would be killed. Unless, of course, his plan to get her to safety worked.

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

Time slowed when speed was necessary.

Logan downed another of Ororo's healing potions; he was crouched among some bushes and trees with Hank while Ororo hovered in the clouds overhead.

"I still think we should have brought in Rogue and Nightcrawler if these wizards are as dangerous as you and Storm say, their powers would have been helpful."

"I would have welcomed either one of them instead of you," Logan said as he gazed around at the dark skies above them, "but Hank McCoy wanted to be the big hero."

"You're an ass and Jazzy is my goddaughter, I need to be here. I'm just saying we could have used more backup." Hank hunkered down and began to run clawed fingers through the fur on his head and face.

"You ain't sheddin' again are you, Blue? Cuz this is definitely not the place you want pieces of you to be layin' around. Ororo says they can use blood and hair as taglocks in potions meant to kill a specific target."

"NO!... and I told you about my shedding in confidence."

"Relax," Logan looked up at the sky again, "Ororo's still doin' her thing up there, which is concerning because she's never taken this long before."

Just then, Logan spotted the body of his wife falling through the trees in time to catch her. After a few seconds of coaxing and Hank towelling her damp brows, Ororo finally regained consciousness.

"I can't do it, Logan. I don't know what's wrong... but I'm guessing there might be magick dampeners buried around here."

"Are you sure this is the place, Ororo?"

"I'm sure, Hank. I can sense the magick pulsing around us."

"I'm getting the sense that we shouldn't be here, though."

"That's just the intent of the Wards. Ignore it until I find-" Ororo suddenly jumped to her feet, startling the men to do the same. "Wolverine, Beast... stay close behind me." Their code names put the men on alert. "Go. Go. Go!"

The three raced through the trees up a steep hill and stopped just before the crest.

"What just happened?" Logan asked as he resisted the urge to take the strengthening potion safely ensconced in his pocket.

"A witch or wizard just took down the Wards... they're back up now. It must have been someone coming onto the grounds; they wouldn't need to lower the Wards to leave."

"Let's go find our daughter."

"Wait, Logan. I need to cast a spell on you two, otherwise, you'd never see the actual building even though we've crossed the Wards." Ororo cupped his face gently and whispered. "Please take the potion, baby. For Jazzy."

Logan sighed and muttered as he unstopped the vial and swallowed its contents in one gulp.

Hank turned away, brushing at the fur on his arm. He loved to see the interaction between his friends; Logan turned to mush when Ororo or his daughter smothered him with affection and love.

"Shut up, Hank."

"I didn't say anything!"

"Okay, boys. Let's go."

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

"Hermione! Hermione!"

"Hello... hello! Please... why can't you hear me?" Jazzy watched the new occupants of the cell next to hers in frustration. Ten minutes ago it had appeared out of nowhere right next to hers.

Inside was an old man in a far corner and a girl with dirty, blond hair crouched next to him, coaxing him to drink water from a tin cup.

Jazzy tried calling to them, but they appeared to be unable to hear her and not too long after that, four other people - who seemed to be just a couple years older than her - were pushed into the cell with the two occupants.

It didn't take long for Jazzy to recognise the boy who'd stood her up. She brushed shaky fingers against her knotty -and close to matting- curls before allowing her arm to slowly drop to her side.

Screams echoed through the rooms above and one of the boys began to freak out, calling - most likely - for the person screaming. Then she heard welcoming sounds... sounds she believed she would never hear again; the yells and roars of wild beasts and cracks of thunder.

"Mom! Dad!"

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

"I think she's in there, but-" Logan inhaled deeply and sighed in frustration, "her scent is faint. If she's not in there, she had been at some point. We have to get - wait - I hear screaming. Storm, give us some cover while we cross the grounds."

Storm worked quickly and her eyes whitened as she raised her arms; a fog swiftly rolled in as she chanted a few incantations.

The three raced silent and unseen across the grounds and passed a couple of white peacocks that startled at the rush of air that swept near them.

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

Hermione screamed as Bellatrix began to carve into her arm again when the roar of a beast echoed through the room.

A great blue paw with long razor-sharp claws gripped her torturer by the throat. Hermione stared in fascinated horror as the beast knocked the knife from the mad witch's hand.

Bellatrix clawed at the fist around her neck to no avail; the beast, with no amount of effort, squeezed until she passed out. With no warning, he flung her at the tall glass windows; Hermione watched as Bellatrix's lifeless body crashed through the window and disappeared from sight.

All hell broke loose as two other people crashed into the room. Hermione scuttled behind a single chair as Death Eaters and Snatchers rushed the newcomers.

The head of Scabior rolled pass her and Hermione buried her face in her hands. The animalistic growls and the high-pitched screaming would remain seared in her memory for a long time.

It was sudden, and eerie as silence reigned.

"Jazzy!"

Hermione yelped in surprise as the resumption of yells. She hastily quieted and held her breath, hoping the monsters had forgotten that they'd broken up a torture session.

"Are you hurt?"

Hermione startled at the gentle query and scuttled back into the bookshelf behind her.

"I won't hurt you. You're safe now."

The voice was so sincere, Hermione peeked through her fingers to find a clawed, blue hand held out to her. Her eyes travelled up the furred arm to find a furry blue face with protruding canines.

"You're safe."

Hermione slowly lowered her shaking hands, and her eyes lept to meet the eyes of the beast. Kind, intelligent and brown eyes gazed back at her. Slowly, inch by inch, she reached out and allowed her trembling hand to rest on huge, yet gentle fingers.

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

"Jazzy!"

"Dad! I'm down here!"

"I wonder what's happening up there? Who's Jazzy?" Harry asked the others in the cell with him, clearly oblivious of their neighbour. "Luna, are there other prisoners down here?"

"No, it's just been Mr Ollivander and me for a long time before you guys."

All talking ceased when a muscular figure entered the dungeons with long sharp-looking knives protruding from his hands. Everyone backed away as the blades were sliced through the bars like butter.

"Daddy!" Jasmine grabbed the bars separating them and tried shaking them but they wouldn't budge.

Her father stalked into the room, scenting the air and Jasmine's eyes teared up when her mother floated into the room behind him and settled in front of the other kids.

"Mum. Please... please... please..." Jasmine chanted softly to herself, hoping her father's famous senses would detect her or her mother's magick was stronger than the dampeners.

"Uncle Hank!" Beast loped into the room with a girl in his arms whom he placed gently next to the rest, and Jasmine felt her heart and hopes lift. She saw her Uncle's surprise when the girl tried to plaster herself to his side, but her friends pulled her into a group hug and her Uncle Hank joined her father in his search around the cell.

"Mr Potter, was there anyone else imprisoned here with you? We are searching for our daughter and we know she's been here at some point."

"Sorry, ma'am, we just got thrown in here ourselves, but Luna says that no one else has been in here with them."

"Are you certain?" She asked the blond haired girl, who nodded.

Jasmine watched as her parents and Uncle circled the room, but they never seemed to cross the area nearer to her cell. Strong magickal barriers were keeping her isolated and all the other occupants' magick dormant.

"Ororo... Logan, Jazzy's not here. We should leave before more wizards come, and get these children out of here."

"No... no, Uncle Hank. I'm right here!"

"You're right, Hank. Let's get these children to safety, then we'll resume our search for Jazzy. There are a few more places I know of that we can check." Her mum placed a comforting hand on her dad's shoulder, and he tucked her to his side. "Logan..."

"She's close, Ororo. I can feel it."

"Maybe we'll find her at one of the other Death Eater homes. Our daughter's powers have not yet emerged, but she's strong-willed... bullheaded; her father's daughter. We will find her and she will be okay."

A gentle breeze swept through the cell and tears streamed from her eyes as Jasmine endured the bitter-sweet moment of her dad gently kissing her mom's brow before leading everyone - but her - from the dungeons.

Jasmine grew up knowing that volatile emotions from her mother could be dangerous for everyone else, but for all her knowledge of her mother's ways, Jasmine hadn't been able to help but feel as though her mother - an Omega Level mutant - never cared for her next-to-useless daughter.

Whenever she'd needed to feel loved, appreciated or wanted, Jasmine knew from a young age to go directly to her father, her Uncle Hank and sometimes even her stepbrother Soren who - for some multiversal reason she couldn't hope to comprehend, because it was too weird to think about - was older than dirt and learned to control his powers in ways their mother couldn't.

Now, here was her mother, showing the most love for her that Jasmine had never seen before and it gave her the strength she needed to hold her head high and watch them all leave, instead of crying and screaming like she wanted to.

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

The girl flinched as the tip of the knife pressed against her flesh, Severus watched as he allowed three drops of her blood to drip into the muddy looking potion. His heart soared as the potion turned a vibrant, almost glossy-looking ocean blue.

The girl glanced up at him; he knew he was almost smirking in triumph and he rubbed his palms slowly as he thought of the possibilities... the opportunities now before him.

"Dude, all you need now is the evil laugh and you'd totally look like Gargamel." She looked back down at the potion when he glared at her. "Sorry."

"That is the most insulting thing anyone's ever said to me and, trust me, I've been called many disgusting things." He pointed to a corner and his eyes tracked her movements as she slinked over to her cot and picked up the third year potions text he'd brought her. "For your information, I have all my hair, I don't have warts and my voice has been described as a silky, smooth baritone."

Severus ignored the muffled snort from the corner and began to bottle the potion. He kept his senses at a high peak for signs of any of the Malfoys or Wormtail slipping into the dungeons.

The Malfoys, Peter Pettigrew, Rodulphus Lestrange and a badly damaged Greyback were the only survivors of the girl's parents attempt to rescue her. He almost wished they'd chosen to attack during a Death Eater meeting, he would bet his meagre Hogwarts salary that the Dark Lord would have lost almost every one of his followers to death and the remaining survivors would have abandoned him.

The world was not filled only by billions of technologically advanced muggles, thousands of them were now mutating in some way, making them stronger supernaturally, physically or mentally, maybe even spiritually.

The wizarding world would stand no chance against these muggles, and it was about time he got out, acquire the knowledge himself... maybe someday he would return to teach a new generation of witches and wizards... someday. Maybe.

Severus paused in ladling the potion and thought to himself; was this how Voldemort had started down an evil path? Seeking knowledge to teach others, but instead losing himself to the evil side of that power?

No, Voldemort had been doomed since his time at Hogwarts, maybe even before; he'd seen that much in Slughorn's mind that time the old fool had gotten drunk at a staff event - when Severus himself was still a teaching apprentice - and his pathetic excuse of occlumency shields had been down.

The Potions Master resumed filling the two vials. What he wanted most, was to leave something worthwhile behind after his death; to be remembered as the man who benefitted the wizarding world in some way.

With this potion, he would be given the chance to do just that, and maybe, just maybe, Lily would forgive him for all his mistakes leading up to her death.

He banished the empty cauldron and dirty equipment before carefully placing the tight-fitting corks. He pocketed one of the vials and studied the other on the counter. This one he was going to replicate its colour and taste and give to Voldemort, then he would hide it away somewhere safe… just in case.

"What's going to happen to me now?"

Severus glanced in the corner; the girl was staring at the pages of the book on her lap, mindlessly fingering the cramped writing in its margins.

It hadn't been his intention - in fact, he'd actually been fighting it - but he and the girl had created a bond between themselves. He could only guess, but if he'd had a little sister, this was probably what it felt like.

For the past few months, this girl had unintentionally been his salvation from gut-wrenching loneliness. The reality of this revelation hit him suddenly and shame coursed through him. He owed her.

Severus didn't know yet how he was going to do it, but he had to get the girl away from the Dark Lord before he gave him the potion. Voldemort hadn't returned to Malfoy Manor since the attack, but instead of moving the girl to his new hideout, he'd warned Lucius to keep his prisoner healthy and isolated as Severus had instructed months ago.

If Severus were to remove the girl now - which he currently had the opportunity and the power to do - Draco and Narcissa would be killed in front of Lucius before the man himself would be locked away. His only chance at receiving mercy was if the Dark Lord remembered the disgraced Malfoy in a dungeon somewhere and decided to torture him to death.

Severus strolled over to the cot and peered down into worried brown eyes. "If I take you from here now..."

"Master Headmaster, Sir. Yous told Winky to says when he comes, and Winky senses he comes, Sir."

"He is there? Right now?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Thank you, Winky. I have one more request." Severus nodded to the girl. "Can you take her from here? She is not a part of this family and doesn't belong."

In his peripheral, Severus saw as the girl sat up straighter at his question - her hope returning - but he kept his eyes on the House-Elf.

"No, Master Headmaster. Winky cannot take anything or anyone from the house of a family Winky does not serve."

Severus frowned in confusion.

"There be much wizard magick over Miss. The magick is keeping Winky from taking Miss."

"I thought so, but I had to ask. It will take too much time for me to remove the spells from around her." Severus sighed. "You may go, Winky. Keep an eye on the boy, I will return shortly."

The girl was holding the book to her chest, her eyes glistening, but she valiantly held back the tears.

"I can't take you with me and it is imperative that I leave now. I'll keep my completion of the potion from the Dark Lord until I can get you away from here tomorrow. I will return sooner if I can."

Severus didn't wait for her reply. He had to get to the boy and give him Dumbledore's message.

Soon... soon this will all be over and he could finally move on.

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

Jasmine was once again curled up in a corner near the cot with her hands covering her ears, not that it made a difference. Dungeon Creep kept making lewd sounds and comments as he tormented her through the bars of the cell.

It reminded her of one of the times Soren visited.

 **As usual, he'd been teaching her how to channel energy through her body - she'd assumed, to help her mutant powers emerge.**

 **The ritual was much like a choreographed dance they practised, and though nothing mutant or magick related ever happened, Jasmine enjoyed those times she spent with her brother.**

 **Until one day, when he confided something that to this day, still made her skin crawl. It came out of nowhere, his warning, and Jasmine broke formation of the dance at his words.**

" **Mother spent centuries wandering the multiverse before she came to Logan."**

" **W-what?"**

" **You must listen and understand what I'm about to tell you, and you can't repeat any of this to mother or Logan."**

 **Suddenly, they were both in a place that was nowhere and Jasmine stepped away from her step-brother in fear. She'd forgotten that Soren was older than dirt and powerful beyond imagining.**

" **It's just a precaution, Jasmine, so that none can hear what I have to tell you.' He waited for her to nod and continued. "Like I said, mother roamed the multiverse for centuries before she came to Logan, and the reason is that it took her that long to get over the death of my father."**

 **Soren gestured to her to sit on a floating cloud-thing and he did the same.**

" **Mother and I are more alike, and when I say that, I mean that mother gained Goddess status during that time."**

" **You're a God? And mum…?"**

" **It is the best description of what we are, yes, and we will only get stronger over time. The reason I'm telling you this is because, when mother came to Logan and they had you, you inherited something from her that could be dangerous if you aren't careful now."**

" **Am I a Demi-Goddess or something?"**

 **Soren smiled and shook his head, "No, but you inherited the essence of one, and that essence is extremely addictive to others. Choose your mate wisely, Jasmine, for** _ **any**_ **man that** _ **knows**_ **you, will become obsessed if he has no love for you in his heart."**

Soren never visited when Jasmine was at home after that, and now she had to deal with a creepy Death Eater threatening to rape her.

Thankfully, Dungeon Creep had never gone through with his threats, but his nightly torments invaded her dreams when she was finally allowed to sleep.

Her dreams consisted of him kneeling over her, her hands trapped beneath one of his. Though she struggled, he would continue to stare blankly down at her, his long black hair hung around his scruffy and demented, yet handsome, face.

His lower body would always trap hers in some way making her struggle frantically her breaths punctured by sobs and pleading. When his own breathing came faster and harsher and his head lower, Jasmine would wake panicked and sobbing from her sleep.

Once, she'd woken from a similar dream in the same panicked state to a pale-haired boy standing outside her cell just looking at her, but he left so quickly she thought she'd imagined him and forgot about it.

"Somnus, meos nimiam. Somnus."

The whispered words were familiar now, and Jasmine allowed her body to relax knowing that he was done with his nightly ritual. After taking a moment to wipe away her tears, she got painfully to her knees grabbing the edge of the cot, wincing at the cramps in her legs.

A sound made her look up to find Dungeon Creep standing in the _open_ doorway of her cell, his chest heaving as he stood staring at her. Jasmine backed away to the wall near the cot.

"N-no… no, Please!" Her hand hovered in front of her defensively… uselessly; but all he did was back out of the cell, lock the door and walk away.

Relief, so intense poured through her, all Jasmine could do was cry her heart out in the corner next to her cot until sleep finally claimed her.

 **A/N - From Google Translate Latin. It could be wrong, but it's supposed to mean: "Sleep, my obsession. Sleep."**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Coward!"

Ororo hovered outside the broken window as she watched the black cloaked figure flutter away. She never thought she would be a witness to this again. Invisible to all eyes, she looked through the window to observe Aurora Sinistra - the woman she'd once been in another reality.

The Astronomy professor stood passively off to the side with the other teachers; Ororo knew the woman could care less about Severus or his students.

Voldemort began his psychic tirade; Ororo turned away from the window and flew back to the Forbidden Forest. She couldn't watch as the Slytherins were pushed to the side and disregarded; she wanted to help, but she desperately needed to find her daughter who - unlike the Slytherins - could not defend herself.

"I couldn't sense or detect her here either," she said as she landed next to the men, "the closest we came to finding her was at the Malfoy Mansion."

"Then we should go back… do these Malfoys have kids?"

"Logan, you're not suggesting we kidnap their children are you?"

"They have my daughter, Hank. It's time we stop pretending that I'm Mr Nice Guy. If I have to remove the heads of every single witch or wizard to get my daughter back then that's what I'm gonna do."

Ororo turned to calm her husband who'd begun to walk away, and all three mutants froze at the sight before them, a few of Voldemorts followers and evil creatures in league with him stood gazing at them in confusion.

The attack on the school had begun and it was obvious the attackers weren't expecting to see strangely dressed muggles standing near the school.

Wolverine's claws extended.

"Starting with them."

As her husband and their closest friend roared and charged the evil wizards and creatures, Storm thought of her daughter; magick and nature answered her call and her burning white gaze fell on their enemies.

"We're coming, baby."

The Forbidden Forest thrummed with hot magickal energy and lightning rained from the sky.

Voldemort lost half of his followers before the battle had even begun.

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

Lucius huddled on the floor in front of his master in the hopes of escaping the full burning hatred of snake-like red eyes.

"Bring Severus to me, Lucius..."

"Yes, my Lord."

"...and his filthy muggle pet."

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

"There… that's all his magick on you removed. We should go now while his focus is on the school. Take my hand -"

"Severus -"

Jasmine was madly impressed with the speed of the Potions Master as he placed himself in front of her, his wand appearing in his hand when he turned to face whoever addressed him. She peeked out from behind her protector to find a haggard looking man in ruined yet obviously expensive robes; his palms up and facing them, sad, broken eyes locked on the professor.

"He's sent me to bring you and the girl to him, Severus."

"Lucius, I think it's time you took your family and left. The next few hours are going to be dangerous for anyone close to him."

"He made Narcissa remain at the Shrieking Shack with the rest of the Death Eaters and Draco is inside the school... still trying to prove himself I think."

"I am not giving her to the Dark Lord, Lucius. It's too dangerous for her, and everyone else if he somehow figures out what I've done."

"Please, Severus, let me get my family to safety. They're all I have left. Please."

The Potions Master glanced back, looking down into her upturned face. Making his decision, Jasmine felt as though she couldn't breathe when he nodded to the man.

"Go, Lucius, get your family to safety as soon as possible, but if you can't, keep up the charade for as long as you can. I will keep his focus on myself."

"Thank you, Severus, thank you." The man hurried toward the door but turned once before leaving. "Merlin keep you safe, my friend."

"And you, my friend."

With the man gone, the Potions Master turned to her and held out his arm.

"Hold on tight, this will be difficult."

Her heart racing, Jasmine took his arm. He was really taking her to Voldemort to save his friend. It's fine... really... it was either her or an entire family. His choice was clear.

The sensation of being sucked into a vacuum took her mind off the emotional pain for a few seconds before she was allowed to breathe again.

She looked around to find that they were at the edge of a small village.

"Where is he?" she asked in a whisper.

" _He_ is not here. This is as far as you go; your parents should be able to find you without the spells or magick dampeners around. This is Hogsmeade, they should easily find you here. Don't go up to the school, it's not safe."

The Potions Master stepped away but Jasmine grabbed his arm.

"Wait, if you go without me, won't he be mad?"

"He will, but I've already taken... precautions. I will be safe enough."

Jasmine released him and Severus stepped away again, but she grabbed his arm. She couldn't let this man throw his life away.

"Professor, don't..." Unfortunately for her, Severus had stepped into an Apparation.

The Potions Master was going directly to the Dark Lord and she'd hitched an unintended ride.

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

"Why would you do something so utterly foolish, you insolent muggle. Incarcerous!"

 _Damn all teenagers to hell!_

Severus allowed the ropes to bound and gag the girl who'd stumbled in on his Apparation behind him, and pushed her to a sitting position in a corner of the room furthest from the Dark Lord.

"My apologies, my Lord. The girl tried to escape just before I apparated."

"I would have been disappointed if she hadn't tried, Severus. You two seemed to be getting on quite well in my dungeons."

"I'd found that... pleasantries made her pliable and willing to give in to my attention, my Lord. It was the only way I could get the potion to be so potent,"

The Dark Lord nodded as he slinked over to a boarded window, rotted and falling away in a few places, to glare out at his Death Eaters some distance away from the Shack.

"As you say, Severus." The Dark Lord held up the Elder wand and stared at it thoughtfully. "Tell me, Severus, why is it that this wand does not work for me?"

Severus felt his heart jump, the potion had worked, but the Dark Lord had noticed too soon. He still had to get to Potter - he allowed his gaze to slide over Nagini in a magickal cage.

"I do not understand, my Lord," he replied easily, "you have performed great magick with that wand."

"No, Severus. I am great, my magick is great; the Elder Wand refuses to yield to me and Potter has - for now - escaped my attack on the school. Hiding, as usual."

"My Lord, let me get the boy. I will bring him to you."

"Now tell me something else, my gifted Potions Master." Voldemort ignored his request and proffered a vial filled with an ocean-blue potion. "What will happen to my magick if I take this?"

Severus' heart sank. There in the Dark Lord's pale, and oddly long-fingered hand, was the potion Severus had given him. He had assumed the Dark Lord would take it immediately.

"You would heal from any wound my Lord."

"And death? Before she was ripped from me, Bellatrix informed me that she had killed the girl's father." Red eyes slid to the bound girl observing them fearfully. "Yet he was spotted with the beast that killed… my best lieutenant and more than half of my followers."

Severus wondered at Voldemort's break in speech but spoke quickly before the Dark Lord thought of looking into the girl's mind.

"And death, my Lord. His blood runs in her veins, after all, and it is now the basis of that potion." Severus gestured to the vial.

"So its effects should be instantaneous if her powers can heal death."

"Yes, my Lord."

Severus kept his features blank as Voldemort swallowed the contents of the vial. The potion he'd given the Dark Lord would take at least ten minutes before it really began to work.

His assumptions that the Dark Lord had taken the potion as soon as Severus had delivered it may have just doomed them all. He had to get to Potter; he had to get the girl out ...

"I feel no difference, yet, even if I had..." Voldemort made a motion with his wand and Severus raised his wand, keeping his body between Voldemort and the girl. "...you were the one who defeated Dumbledore, and now I have defeated you."

The girl began to make high-pitched muffled noises behind him, but he turned too late, Nagini's cage had covered his upper body.

"Nagini. Kill."

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

Seconds passed in slow, agonising moments; time seemed to be at a standstill.

Jasmine screamed, her mind and soul rebelled at the sight of the Potions Master's throat being punctured repeatedly by a giant snake.

 _~ Jasmine... Jasmine it's going to be okay ~_

Her mind latched on to the familiar and welcome intrusion.

 _~ Professor Xavier, help. Please help us ~_

 _~ I've contacted your parents. They should be there now ~_

However, fate seemed desperate to keep her in danger.

Severus' body fell to the floor; her father crashed through the walls with her mother and uncle close behind, but Voldemort had already gripped her by the neck and then he disapparated.

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

"Take. It… take it."

Ororo conjured an empty vial and took the memories leaking from the corners of Severus' eyes. It was difficult for her to look at this man and not see her long-dead husband, for they were one and the same, but not.

This Severus Snape was still in love with Lily Evans; Ororo had seen almost all of his realities after her husband had passed away and knew what he needed.

"Mr Potter and company, get up here. Now."

She heard footsteps and stumbling, she didn't look up.

"The girl…she… I"

"Not now, Mr Potter."

Ororo pulled the boy down to Severus' side, put the memory-filled vial in Harry's shaking hand and went to her husband's side. Logan cupped her neck and pulled her close.

"Look. At. Me."

Storm closed her eyes, took a deep breath and allowed a gentle breeze to sweep around the room, purifying the air of death.

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

"She was right there, Ororo. We were so close."

 _~ You have fought valiantly but in vain. I do not wish this. Every drop of magickal blood spilt is a terrible waste. I, therefore, command my forces to retreat. In their absence, dispose of your dead with dignity. To the muggle freaks in our midst, it is time for an example to be made, it is time you are shown the power of wizard-kind. Harry Potter, I now speak directly to you. On this night, you have allowed your friends to die for you, rather than face me yourself. There is no greater dishonour. Join me in the Forbidden Forest, and confront your fate. If you do not do this, I shall kill every last man, woman and child who tries to conceal you from me. ~_

"We should go back to the school," Ororo whispered, but it was unnecessary as the teenagers had grouped together at the opening Wolverine had made, "he'll want to make his example in front of a crowd. It's almost over now."

"Should we be stopping them?"

Ororo turned as Logan gestured to the three departing students.

"We can't interfere more than we have, Logan. Events need to happen as close to what fate decreed as possible."

"Uh... eh-hmm... I was talking about those two."

Harry Potter and Ron Weasley had walked some distance but Hermione was clinging to Hank's arm, looking earnestly into his face. Hank said something Ororo couldn't hear and the girl seemed disappointed.

"Hermione lets go," Ron called to her.

"I think Hank and the boy have that well in hand," Ororo replied.

"We've got to get Jazzy away from that psycho, Ororo. We've been here too long for my likin'."

"Our daughter's alive and we're getting her back. That's all that matters, Logan." She gestured to Severus' body and with a silent incantation, it hovered at waist level.

Severus Snape was not going to be left in the Shrieking Shack, not again, and definitely not by her.

Hank was some distance ahead jumping and swinging from tree to tree. Logan glanced at the now darkly shrouded body floating in front of them, hidden so no one at the school would know that a dead Severus Snape was among them until later.

"What would fate have to say about this I wonder?"

"You're not jealous of a... a dead man are you, Logan?"

"Nah, if you'd been cryin' an' hollerin' with storm clouds around you, I mighta been worried then."

Ororo bumped into him playfully and they walked in comfortable silence to the schoolyard and she discreetly placed Severus' body among the fallen in the Great Hall.

The Hogwarts faculty had already become used to the help of the strange muggles, so no one questioned them for the moment. For the next few hours, Hank and Logan helped to carry in the dead bodies of students while Ororo dusted off her magickal healing knowledge to help Madam Pomfrey.

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

Jasmine huddled against the cold rock where one of the Death Eaters had thrown her. She was still tied up and gagged, but thanks to her father's mutant genes that she'd inherited, she was not tired or hurt; she was getting hungry, though, and was already a bit dehydrated. She wondered if it was possible for _her_ to die of starvation and thirst.

 _Note to self - ask dad if he'd ever died of or had been close to dying of starvation... maybe I should make a list._

Nearby, the bedraggled wizard that the Potions Master had been speaking with back in the dungeon - Lucius she thought was his name - was standing closest to her; speaking in hushed tones to an equally bedraggled blond woman - his wife, she assumed.

Every now and again, Jasmine would experience bliss as the rock pulsated a comforting warmth that enveloped her body. The first time it happened, she'd assumed that it had been the last bit of warmth collected from the sun; but when it happened again half an hour later, Jasmine realised that it had to have been one of the witches or wizards nearby that was doing it.

Heat spread through her body again at that moment, and it was then she realized that Lucius' hushed tones with his wife incorporated a Warming spell of some sort. A quick glance upward, and she noticed his wand pointed casually in her direction from his negligently folded arms.

"Harry, no!"

The giant man, who Jasmine just realised was a prisoner as well, startled her with his booming shout, and she looked past the evil red-eyed wizard - who'd been standing some distance away, staring into the trees - to witness Harry Potter's stride into the clearing.

There were a few seconds of silence; Jasmine noted the eager stance of the evil wizard's followers as they watched Harry approach. Thankfully, most of the non-human creatures had abandoned him, but there was still a large crowd of his followers in the clearing and among the trees.

Jasmine had been witness to the retreat of most of the evil creatures, before being dragged away to this part of the forest herself. Only the wraith-like beings remained and a few werewolves, but they were some distance away. Thank the gods.

"Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived... come to die."

Harry Potter said nothing as he glanced around the clearing, and then his eyes fell on her.

"I must say, Harry, I was shocked at your brazen use of this child. Dumbledore's Golden Boy, tricking me into thinking that this muggle female meant anything to you, while the people you really care about are safe from my gaze. Ingenious and not particularly heroic, in fact, I would go so far as to say it was almost Slytherin of you."

Harry's gaze had been on her during this speech and Jasmine saw a brief glimpse of guilt in those green eyes. It didn't hurt as she thought it would - getting confirmation - after all, they didn't know each other... Harry Potter didn't even know her name.

Yet, a spark of anger lit in her chest. Soren was right, British magickals weren't trustworthy at all; she'd really been attracted to him.

"But it was a foolish mistake on your path, Harry. This muggle abomination, mutants they call themselves, was my final step to immortality. Avada Kedavra!"

The unexpected incantation to end his monologue echoed around the clearing, and in her mind. It was the spell the evil witch had used, the spell she'd thought had killed her dad.

When it hit, Harry was blasted backwards. However, Voldemort reacted similarly, as though he'd been hit with a spell as well. Whether it was a result of Severus' potion, Jasmine didn't know; the Potions Master hadn't informed her of what the potion would do.

The only thing she was sure of was that he hadn't given Voldemort the potion containing her blood. Jasmine really hoped the evil wizard was dead.

Seconds passed where the Death Eaters were frantic, but none of them wanted to check on their master's body. Then, the blond witch took a deep breath and went over to the fallen pile of pale limbs and fabric.

The witch hunched over the body, and was about to touch his shoulder when he quickly sat up; she stumbled back a bit and seemed to find the forest floor of great interest.

"The boy... is he dead?" Voldemort stumbled to his feet, and Jasmine felt her hopes sinking... again. She looked at Harry's body and felt a sense of loss; he was only a couple years older than her, but she knew that soon she would be in the position he was at that moment.

"You." The evil wizard pointed at the nearby witch with his wand, and a blast of magick hit her as she tried to huddle away. "Examine him. Tell me whether he is dead."

Jasmine noted that though the woman shrieked, it wasn't as pain-filled as it should have been. She glanced at Lucius, his back was to her, and she noted that his wand was clenched in a tight fist behind him.

The woman shuffled forward and knelt over the body of Harry Potter.

Jasmine held her breath.

The woman sat up and looked around at them. "He is dead!"

The Death Eaters began to celebrate, sending up red and white bursts of light into the air.

Then Voldemort began to desecrate Harry's body and Jasmine turned her face to the rock's surface, a few tears escaping.

"Now, we go to the castle, and show them what has become of their hero," Voldemort said, gesturing to the prone form, "who shall drag the body?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

In the end, the giant man was the one to carry Harry's body.

Lucius and his wife walked with her between them, as for the moment, Voldemort had forgotten her; they'd even released the ropes from her body so that she could walk on her own. Instead, ropes appeared to be wrapped around her wrists in front of her, and she remained gagged. Lucius had passed the wand to his wife, and Jasmine realised then that one of them had lost their wand.

Exiting the forest, they had to pass the wraith-like figures hovering near the upper branches of the trees. Jasmine trembled, chilled to the bone, she remained upright only because Lucius held her in a firm grip and seemingly dragged her along.

Was there any hope of them getting out of this alive? Were her parents strong enough to defeat this mad wizard?

"I have already killed Harry Potter, and now my faithful will have their pound of flesh for their fallen comrades."

The Malfoys had no choice but to back away and stand with the others. Voldemort had the Death Eaters make a semi-circle around her and behind him, and he turned to the castle. He hadn't forgotten her after all, and she watched, disgusted, as his snake slithered from wherever it had been in the forest, up his body and settle around his shoulders.

"Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away..."

Jasmine drowned out the magnified voice of the wizard and searched the gathering crowd pouring from the castle for her parents. There they were, just behind a few teachers and students that consisted of the girl who'd been clinging to Uncle Hank, and the red-headed boy who'd been yelling for her in the dungeon.

Her parents moved to the front of the crowd and her mum spoke.

"Voldemort, you have upset the balance of this world by taking our daughter. This fight is not ours; give us our daughter and we will leave this place peacefully."

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

Logan's fingers curled into his palms. He didn't want to leave here peacefully, this group before them needed to be wiped out for taking their little girl.

His eyes fell on her slight form; she'd been forced to kneel, and her brown eyes gazed at him and her mother longingly. Even dirty, her hair matted and dull, his Jazzy was as beautiful as her mother.

To hell with peace... those wizards pointing their sticks at her were already dead.

"As I told Harry Potter before he died like a coward, it is because of his use of her as a decoy that this mutant has been my final step to immortality; with some help from your dearly departed Headmaster's brewing capabilities. Now, she will be the lesson in which I will teach you muggle freaks-of-nature the true meaning of power."

Did this red-eyed freak mean, what Logan thinks he means? These bastards _experimented_ on his baby girl?

Logan's claws extended fully and he saw the wizard's near non-existent lips curl in revulsion.

"My wife was just tryin' to be diplomatic bub; you hurt my daughter, you don't get a free pass." Logan sniffed the air, his gaze passed over the body near Voldemort's feet and allowed his eyes to stray to his daughter, who immediately gave him the signal. With her hand tied at the wrist, her palms were clasped but it made it easier for her to do inconspicuously.

One index finger to her nose, both then pointed at her upper arms; two fingers held up to indicate an amount and a negative shake of her head.

"Let's experiment, shall we?" Voldemort sneered at him. "Let's see if it's possible for your spawn to heal from decapitation as well as she did with dismemberment."

Logan had no time to savour the relief that his daughter could heal from any injuries, but he revelled in his rage at all she'd suffered at the hands of these sick fucks.

"NOW!"

Before they could take aim at his daughter, Voldemort and his Death Eaters had no choice but to defend themselves when the mutants charged. The crowd of students and teachers followed after.

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

Jasmine found it fascinating that Voldemort was completely unaware that his spells were weak and getting weaker by the minute. She was sure that this was the result of Severus' potion.

Her gaze locked with those of her father and she wished Professor X would link with them, but for some reason, he wasn't helping or was unable to. Instead, she gave her dad as much information as she was able; the slight smirk on the faces of all three of the mutants at that moment should have triggered a warning in the evil wizard, but he was as oblivious as with the potion.

The memories that surfaced when he mentioned the dismemberment caused bile to rise, but Jasmine grit her teeth and forced the memories away; she had to remain focused.

"NOW!"

With the chaos that ensued, Jasmine unclasped her hands and the illusion of ropes fell away as Lucius had said it would.

"Kill them! Kill them all! Leave none alive!" She heard Voldemort's bellow of rage when he realised his moment of victory had been short-lived.

Still kneeling on the ground to keep as low as possible, Jasmine pulled the gag from her mouth and left it to hang loosely around her neck. Her mother landed next to her; a magickal sphere settled around them both.

"Jasmine, take this and head for those gates," Storm placed a dagger in her hand and pointed to large black gates, twisted and broken, in the distance, "hide somewhere in the village until this is over. Your father and I will find you."

Jasmine nodded as she gripped the handle of the knife; she longed to throw herself into her mother's arms, but she knew safety was the priority at the moment.

"The shield I've placed around you will only last about a minute." Storm rose into the air and out of the safety of the shield. "Get as far from the battle as possible. Go, Jasmine!"

Jasmine watched as her mother flew straight for the creepy looking wraiths before she heeded her mother's warning and ran; dodging fallen bodies and duelling wizards as streaks of lights bounced off the sphere.

She was near the edge of the battling wizards when some of the spells sparked brightly off the shield, and Jasmine had to cover her eyes, only to stumble over one of the fallen bodies. The barrage of spells continued to blast against the shield, weakening it, and she took a moment to glance at where it was coming from.

Dungeon Creep stood a few feet away, throwing spell after spell against the shield. She hadn't even noticed him while they'd been in the forest, and Jasmine automatically flinched away from his desperate attempts to get at her; bile rose to her throat at his blank yet demented features. Scrambling to her feet, she thought to run for the safety of the gate but knew he would only follow her, and so she did the opposite.

Jasmine ran back toward the castle and the battle, she circled the leg of a fallen giant she hadn't noticed in her previous dash for safety; searching desperately for her father before the shield -

A spell sped passed her, inches away from her body and Jasmine dove behind the enormous leg.

"Come here."

It was unfortunate that he'd been right behind her.

Cruel fingers tightened in her messy curls, and her chest ached as Jasmine felt the racing of her heart. Dungeon Creep pulled her into the nearby trees, breathing harshly as he limped from a wound on his leg. Her terror spiked; he'd chased her on a wounded leg... was he really going to risk death - by her dad - to have his way with her? A memory, so short and fragmented, flashed briefly in her mind. She didn't remember that _ever_ happening, but somehow she knew it did.

"NO!" She fought his grip on her.

Dungeon Creep threw her to the ground impatiently and hit her with a spell that silenced her scream. His black beetle-like eyes gleamed as he stared at her silently; his heavy breathing the only sound he made. A memory flashed again and her eyes widened.

He crouched next to her and she backpedalled against the base of a tree; something pressed into the palm of her hand and she remembered the knife her mother had given her. She raised it to shoulder level, the blade glinting dangerously, yet Dungeon Creep ignored it, never taking his eyes from her. He'd followed her as she backed against the tree and now he reached for her.

Jasmine shook her head, her hand holding the knife trembled as his hand came closer, however, she could do nothing but gasp soundlessly as his fist tightened into her hair again.

She'd trained with her father and brother for years! Why couldn't she kill him?

"Please." Under the silencing spell, she knew he couldn't hear her, but his eyes darted to her lips.

Another fragmented memory, this one a few seconds longer.

 _ **I was tied to the huge bed, helpless against the ravaging of his lips and tongue. I wrapped my legs around him. He buried himself to the hilt, his neck straining as he threw his head back, my name on his lips as he erupted along with my own orgasm.**_

Firm lips fastened against hers, pulling her from the memory. A fear Jasmine never thought she'd experience at her age overtook her and she began to struggle, pushing at his shoulder; the blade in her hand forgotten. He leaned away and whispered something that sounded like 'so long' but her heart was hammering, her body shaking, and she began to feel lightheaded.

His lips found hers again; the new growth of his beard bruising and painful against her soft untouched skin.

It couldn't have been real... Dungeon Creep had never taken her from the cell as he'd often threatened... unless he'd used magick... of course, he'd use magick... she would never have willingly had sex with him... never!

He leaned away, seemingly fighting for control, and Jasmine hugged her arms to herself, a useless shield. Greed, hate, disgust, longing and lust warred in his eyes, and all she wanted to do was run and hide.

"Safe now," he stroked her bruised lips, "safe now."

He glanced away for a moment as though listening for something, but immediately turned back and he caught her neck in a tight grip, the knife fell from her hand.

"Safe from him now," he whispered harshly, "you're safe... from me."

Wide-eyed and frightened, Jasmine could only claw at the hand around her throat. Screaming was a waste of breath and she'd stupidly dropped the knife; she'd had multiple opportunities to kill him and hadn't taken any of them. Now, she was going to die.

A familiar roar preceded Dungeon Creep being pulled away by a muscled arm around his throat.

Time slowed... her eyes remained looked with Dungeon Creep as her dad, the Wolverine dragged him away. His lips moved as he spoke but Jasmine couldn't hear his words. Her fingers clawed into the dirt at her knees where she remained kneeling; the urge to scream for him... for his life puzzled her.

Three long, sharp blades appeared through his chest and Jasmine felt her own body jerk in response. Dungeon Creep's body dropped to his knees as the blade was retracted, and their eyes remained locked. His lips moved one last time and he was dead before the rest of his body hit the ground.

Time sped up again, and Jasmine found herself in her father's arms sobbing uncontrollably.

In her mind the silent words, 'forgive me' and 'I love you' flashed in her mind; she pulled at her hair and shook her head, willing the words to go away. Her dad gripped her tighter and still, Jasmine didn't feel safe.

Neither of them noticed a black mist sink from the body and into the ground.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

By the time father and daughter had emerged from the trees, the battle had dwindled at the castle.

Some of the castle's defenders were rounding up a few remaining Death Eaters that had been trying to flee, but there seemed to be battling still going on within the castle itself.

Logan searched the sky for his wife and found her directing a black cloud away from the school. Looking around, he realised that the defenders had everything in hand outside, he noticed a group surrounding a couple of Death Eaters, and he decided to find Beast so that they could all leave now that his daughter was safe.

He looked down at Jazzy clinging to his side and frowned, his daughter seemed devastated and he knew that, somehow, it had to do with that Death Eater who'd been touching her, and not just the horror she'd been through for the past few months. It made his hackles rise, and he wanted to go back and slice that fucker's body to pieces.

Logan looked up at Ororo; she was still focused on the cloud and he looked toward the castle, but he didn't see Hank. He needed to take his daughter from this place.

 _~Logan~_

Wolverine stilled at the sound of the voice in his mind.

 _*Soren?*_

 _~Before you leave, there's something I need you to do.~_

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

Jasmine fought to pull herself together; she knew her dad thought her behaviour was weird, and honestly, she didn't understand her own reaction to Dungeon Creep's death.

Sorrow swamped her, but she focused instead on the sounds of battle from inside the castle.

"Jazzy." The sound of her dad's voice brought her startled gaze to his.

"I need you to wait here for your mother, there's something I have to do. Jazzy, are you okay?"

Jasmine forced a smile on her face and released the death grip she had on her dad. "I'm alright, dad. Go, I'll be fine. There's no one left to hurt me."

For whatever reason, her dad ran toward the forest, and Jasmine wrapped her arms around herself and tried to find her mother, but Storm had been hidden by clouds. It was a long while after her father left that she heard the voices.

"Please, we surrender, just let me get my wife to a healer. Please!"

Jasmine turned to the voices, a group of people stood nearer to the castle, and she recognised Lucius and what must be the body of his wife in his arms.

Without further thought or hesitation, Jasmine moved toward the small group aiming their wands at the couple.

"How many people begged you for their lives, and the lives of their loved ones, Malfoy?"

Lucius dropped to his knees, still holding his wife and clearly unarmed. "You can do what you want with me. I'm begging you, just release my son and get my wife to a healer, please."

It was then, as she got closer, that Jasmine saw a boy with pale-blonde hair, wrists obviously bound behind his back and caught between two other boys his own age. In fact, the small group was made up of teenagers.

"Father, don't beg them for anything. They're just as prejudiced as they claim we are."

"Shut it, Malfoy!" A well-aimed punch dropped Lucius' son before he was pulled roughly to his feet again.

"Let's just take care of them now while everyone's inside; they'll all just think they died in the fight. Besides, no one's gonna miss a family of Death Eaters."

Jasmine had been walking toward them but froze when she heard those words. The group were only a few feet away, but their formation made it impossible for them to see her unless they turned their heads slightly. She knew if she moved any closer they'd definitely see her; she glanced up at the sky, but her mum was nowhere to be seen.

Most of the boys had been arguing against the suggestion, but halfheartedly, while three others - the two holding Lucius' son and the other that had punched him - easily talked the rest into the plan, and it took only a minute.

They shoved the boy next to his parents, and Lucius placed an arm around his son's shoulder while the other kept his wife in his lap against him.

Jasmine began to panic; she had no powers and there was no help close-by. She'd been in the Malfoys' company for an hour at most, and she knew there had been some type of friendship between Lucius and the Potions Master; he and his family might have been Voldemort's supporters once, but that had obviously ended some time ago. They'd protected her in the forest as best they could... she had to do something.

The three eager boys aimed their wands.

Jasmine's pulse raced with fear as she chanted in her mind.

 _I'll be fine. I can heal like dad. I'll be fine._

Three things happened then simultaneously.

"Stop!" Jasmine yelled

The uproar from a crowd sounded from the castle.

The three boys, startled by the events and the possibility of a witness, spun with curses already on their lips; the rest of the group including their victims watched in horror as a muggle girl was enveloped by three separate Killing Curses.

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

 _I can't believe I'm doin' this again._

Wolverine paused among the trees and sniffed the air. A musty, almost rancid, stench of various herbs led him back to the trail and he took off in a direction that was quickly becoming familiar to him.

Why would the damned wizard even go back to that place? Wolverine didn't know, or care; the only reason he was doing this was that his stepson had asked.

When Soren had contacted him with his request, Logan's first thought had been to refuse, but the fact that his wife's son still trusted him that much, left him feeling like the big softy they liked to tease him about being.

The busted shack was visible a short distance away, and he veered toward the entrance he'd made the night before. What he saw when he cleared the makeshift entrance made him pause.

In his search, the scent of the Potions Master had permeated the trail, broken branches and disturbed gravel told of the man's struggle to get back to the shack; yet, in front of Logan, sitting on oversized robes and staring blankly at the blood-stained floors was a tiny form.

The man he'd been jealous of for a long time, who'd had the love of his wife and had made a life with her; the man he had reluctant respect for, Severus Snape, had somehow transformed into a three-year-old child.

Logan stepped toward the boy but hesitated when frightened black eyes turned to him.

"Relax Snape... uh... kid, I ain't here to hurt ya." He kept his gruff tones as gentle as possible and held his hands out, palms down as he knelt slowly next to the boy. For a moment Logan thought he saw recognition in the child's eyes, but he knew that wasn't possible.

Snape continued to stare at him, and when Logan was hunched next to him the boy finally glanced around.

"Where did he go?"

"Where'd who go?"

"My... uh ... I... I don' -" the boy mumbled to a stop, Logan noticed that his eyes went blank as his thoughts seemed to wander. The boy rubbed his eyes, and when he looked up at Logan again, it was with a child's curiosity.

Unsure of what was happening, Logan gathered the robes around the boy, deciding it was best to pull up the hood to cover the kid's head. He lifted him into his arms, all the while trying to keep his touch light and non-threatening.

"Okay Kid, let's get you to my wife."

"Are you my daddy?"

"God, no! Um, I mean... you can call me... James," he said, thinking it would be the easiest of his names the kid would be able to pronounce.

"Don' like James." the kid groused and Logan snorted at the little-furrowed brows and pouting lips, as he remembered he was, technically, holding a grown man. He looked down at the dark innocent eyes observing his reaction with a, now curious, frown and said the one thing he never thought he'd say to Severus Snape.

"Call me Logan."

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

Storm kept her focus on the cloud of dementor ashes, ensuring that they reached the sea to dissipate safely. Doing any different - allowing the ashes to scatter around the population - would be catastrophic for the wizarding world and might as well be considered genocide.

Above the clouds, arms spread wide as she was embraced by the light and heat of the sun; knowing that her daughter has manifested her powers and was now safe; that they could all finally retreat from the wizarding world, Storm hadn't felt such peace in months.

The cloud was now over the ocean, and with the help of her staff, a whirlpool formed and Storm forced the cloud into the swirling depths of the ocean, ensuring that the dementors never rose again... in any form.

Satisfied that her work was done, Storm raced back to the ground, ready to find her family and return home

Closer to the castle now, she heard the cheers of a crowd inside the castle, but just then a flash of green light caught her eyes. Storm turned to investigate the source of the familiar light and found the group facing a lone figure falling to its knees.

Her breath caught in her throat, and Storm was unconscious of her speed but she touched down lightly in front of her daughter, enveloped in - what she knew now was - the Killing Curse and screaming in agony.

She reached out for Jazzy, but a sliver of the curse flared and Storm had just enough time to conjure a wall of earth in front of her before it hit. She tried twice more to get to her daughter but the result was the same; the curse wanted to complete its job one way or the other.

Storm had never felt so powerless as she witnessed her daughter's pain and tortured screams. She was unaware of the crowd gathering behind her, drawn by the sound of Jazzy's scream; unaware even of her husband's cry for them.

"Jazzy! Ororo!"

Tears streamed from blazing white orbs and an unnatural wind began to stir up, circling mother and daughter.

"Storm!"

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

The Hogwarts defenders gathered behind the powerful witch that had taken out a host of dementors. The professors remembered that she'd come to them just before the battle, requesting information that might help her detect the whereabouts of her daughter who'd been kidnapped by Death Eaters.

Everyone just stood staring at the mutants; no one knew what to do for them as the witches and wizards had never seen the Killing Curse behave this way before, and the only known survivor - as far as they knew - was The-Boy-Who-Lived.

Harry Potter pushed to the front of the crowd, - the professors had made everyone move back when they saw the curse flaring - and when he saw who the tortured screams came from, his guilt tripled. The war was over, Tom Riddle was dead; no one else was supposed to die, not now.

"Who did this?" He asked coldly, and green eyes found their way to the small group still hovering next to four familiar figures.

Millicent Bulstrode was hovering over the still form of Narcissa Malfoy, obviously trying to heal or diagnose the woman, while Lucius and Draco knelt next to the wife and mother.

When Harry noticed Draco's bound hands a part of him thought that maybe they had done it and had been apprehended, until, from the corner of his eye, a slight movement caught his attention.

Three boys, a Ravenclaw and two Gryffindors, whom he knew shouldn't even have been in the battle, stood looking at the ground guiltily. Then one of the boys looked up at him as he neared them.

"We didn't mean to."

Harry shook his head, but didn't reply, and turned back to the girl he'd been seeing in that diner so long ago, and her mother. He had the feeling that if anything happened to these two females, no one was going to save the wizarding world from the crazed man now struggling to get to them.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up - along with many others, he guessed - when suddenly, there was silence.

The girl had stopped screaming.

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

Hank brushed past the boy that had killed the evil wizard, calling to his friend, but Storm was already losing herself to her emotions.

"Jazzy! Ororo!" It was then that Hank noticed Wolverine racing toward his family, holding what looked like a toddler in his arms. Hank moved to intercept.

"Logan, you have to calm her down," he said before he found himself holding a bundle in his arms.

"Hold him, Hank, and keep him safe," Logan said in a rush, "if anything happens to us, Soren says to take him to Professor Xavier."

"What are you going to do?"

Logan didn't answer, instead, he began to fight against the wind as he made his way to his wife.

"Storm!"

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

She was being ripped apart.

She was bloated... full... and getting heavier.

Her body wasn't going to be able to hold anymore.

Her insides were tearing... it was too much.

She was going to explode.

 _I'm going to die..._

Jasmine saw her mother's attempts to get to her; she saw the crowd gathering some distance away. Then she saw nothing as her eyes glazed over.

 _Would all those people die too?_

Her mother?

Uncle Hank?

"Jazzy! Ororo!"

 _Daddy..._

Jasmine wanted to get her mother to banish her away - she knew her mother had that ability - but for some reason, she couldn't speak or move.

 _I'm going to die, and these poor people are going to die because of me._

 _~Jazzy~_

Time stopped. Literally.

 _*Soren?... Save them*_

 _~Remember our times together, Jazzy. Remember what I thought you~_

 _*But I can't move.*_

 _~Dance, Jazzy...~_

 _*Soren, help me*_

 _~Dance!~_

Her mind became silent, and Jasmine knew she was alone. She tried to move, but her body was frozen. She didn't even realise that she was kneeling on the ground, that her neck strained as her head was tilted backwards, nor that she was screaming.

Dance, Soren had said, but how could she. Jasmine began to remember all those times she spent with her brother, and their practices came to her mind.

 **Slip to the right.**

 **Tuck chin, head swerve right; arms balance.**

 **Arms flow along Core river.**

The pressure began to move.

 **Slide to the left.**

 **Tuck chin, head swerve left; arms balance.**

 **Arms flow along Core river.**

At this point, Jasmine stopped screaming, but she remained kneeling and the bystanders watched open-mouthed and scared, afraid of what her silence meant.

The curse began to coagulate as it moved toward the centre of her body.

Time began to move again.

 **Flow. Centre. Slip Back.**

The crowd backed further - gasping, and mumbling among themselves - unprepared as she stood in one smooth motion.

Jasmine was now acting only on instinct. The chaotic ball of magick was now pulsing and circulating between her raised hands. She was completely unaware of her parents or the crowd, only the magick held her attention, and she focused on it.

It was frantic to do what it had been summoned for, and only Jasmine had the power to give it what it wanted. In the back of her mind though, was the knowledge that it wanted to kill.

The green light of the curse that had been flooding her eyes turned into a bright blue light; soon the ball began to change until it too was a blinding blue orb of light, calm yet still intensely eager.

Knowing the magick was now safe, Jasmine allowed her arms to drop. The magick exploded, harmlessly encompassing the entire grounds and nearby areas. Her body now drained, Jasmine collapsed unconscious into her father's arms.

Storm - recovered by her daughter's blast of magick - and Hank rushed over to them; not wasting any more time, Storm opened a gateway, pulling it over them.

The witches and wizards could only watch as the mutants vanished from their sights.

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

Draco wished he could block out the sound of the girl's screams; he'd heard more than enough cries of pain to last him a lifetime; Crabbe's, filled with fear, would never leave him.

Ever since his father's fall from grace at the Ministry Of Magic that day, in the Department Of Mysteries, Draco knew that it was only the beginning of the disgrace of the Malfoy name.

How he'd hated his father, and vowed - not a magickal one, he wasn't stupid - to bring honour to the name Malfoy again.

 **Then, the Dark Lord had called on him to give him his first task, and Draco knew that his chance had come. He would be better than Lucius, and if the Dark Lord asked him to prove his loyalty by killing his father, he would have done it in a heartbeat.**

 **Instead, he'd been given the impossible suicide mission of killing Albus Dumbledore. When he and his parents had been allowed to leave the Dark Lord's presence after his announcement, they'd retreated to the only room that remained theirs alone, the study.**

 **Draco had been trailing behind his parents on instinct, his mind had retreated from the present as the words 'kill Albus Dumbledore' echoed gratingly. He only became aware that he was sitting on the soft couch in the study when a glass of Firewhiskey was placed gently in his hand; the poignant vapours an onslaught on his nostrils.**

 **Lucius was kneeling before Draco with a hand on his knee, and the young man really looked at his father then. Lucius' robes were dirty and unkempt, he'd clearly not had a shower in days; the hand on Draco's knee spasmed every few seconds - telltale signs of a long-held Cruciatus - and his eyes...**

 **His eyes told of his weariness, and his regret, his remorse and... his love for his wife and his son.**

 **"I will do everything in my power, such as it is, to help you, son," his father said softly, "we're here for you, your mother and I, whenever you need us."**

 **Draco noticed that fingers had been combing through his hair, he glanced up at his mother sitting next to him, her eyes full of love and support as she tried to hide her terror behind them.**

 **He shakily swallowed the shot of Firewhiskey and he squeezed his eyes shut, not just to block out the burn, but the trembling hands of his parents clasped in front of him.**

 **Memories of his parents' show of affection and love assailed him; he'd forgotten how much in love they were, and how much they loved him. A twisted memory of his mother's loving eyes as they turned to horror and hate after finding out that he'd been prepared to kill his own father, the love of her life...**

 **The glass smashed to the floor, bile rose in his throat and Draco raced to his room, ignoring the calls of his parents behind him.**

 **Later on, some weeks after he'd failed in his task, and the muggle girl had been captured, he'd latched on to the mystery of where her freakish powers had come from. Research in their extensive library produced no clues, and he'd had no opportunities to delve into the muggle world; something unheard of among pure-blood society.**

 **However, the Malfoys have retained financially beneficial affiliations and enterprises within the muggle world for centuries. Lucius would have introduced Draco to the muggle side of the family fortune by now, had it not been for the rise of the Dark Lord.**

 **He told himself that his treks to the dungeons were only his right and duty to study the only muggle available to him, a freakish one yes, but still a muggle. Draco had been drawn to her, even dirty, her hair matted and her clothes dishevelled, she was... something, he was unsure of what that something was. Maybe it was another one of her freakish powers, to muddy the mind of a pure-blood like himself.**

Now, here he was, kneeling next to the haggard form of his father, who was holding the just-as-shabbily dressed body of his mother who may be dying. They had all been about to die when the girl - a muggle girl he'd been studying like a bug - had chosen to save their lives.

It seemed like she screamed forever before she was instantly silent, and he'd thought she'd finally died; instead, Draco watched, amazed as everyone who witnessed it, when the muggle girl effortlessly pushed the magick out of herself and created a large ball of the Killing Curse.

 _Merlin's Hairy Balls! A muggle is gonna kill us all... with magick!_

The magick, instead, turned into a blinding blue light that washed over everyone soon after the girl fell to the ground.

Draco breathed a sigh of relief, which made him realise that his cuts and bruises were gone; before he could question it, his mother gasped and sat up in his father's arms. In fact, his father seemed healthier than he'd been in months.

Everyone around them began to chatter among themselves in disbelief at the instant healing of their injuries; then a scream sounded from within the castle. Draco rolled his eyes when Potter and his symbiotes were the first to rush toward the commotion before everyone else followed.

"Here, sweetheart," his mother said shakily.

Released from his bonds, Draco pulled his parents in a quick hug, while no one was watching. He pulled away and helped his mother to stand, only to become a Draco sandwich when his parents embraced him, uncaring of onlookers.

His eyes watered as the hug continued, and he wrapped his arms around his father, burying his face against his chest; comforted by the warmth of his parents' arms.

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

When the Golden Trio raced into the Great Hall, all three stopped in shock, as frozen as Madame Pomfrey. The Mediwitch stood some distance away with a hand over her mouth, to suppress any more screams, as she stared at a number of people throwing sheets off their heads and standing unsteadily to their feet.

A tall red-headed young man looked around confused for a moment until his eyes landed on the trio and the crowd now standing behind them. He looked down at himself, then pulled at his ears.

"What... did I lose an ear like Forge or something?"

"Fred?" Ron asked, blinking his eyes.

"Well... I have both my ears. Sooo..."

Without warning, Ron and his friends were pushed out of the way, and Fred found himself gripped in a tight hug by his twin, who couldn't talk on the account that he couldn't stop crying.

Soon, the rest of The Returned was surrounded by a crowd of happily crying families and friends.

Madame Pomfrey glanced around sadly at the bodies that hadn't moved, and she realised that those were the ones who had been hit by the Killing Curse.

Poppy saw Harry's hopeful gaze as he looked around, no doubt, for Lupin, but Remus and his wife remained motionless. Tapping the tip of her finger against her wand, the Mediwitch moved to the couple as they were the closest to her. Pulling back the sheet covering Remus, she ran a diagnostic scan; her heart starting to race, she did the same for Nymphadora.

"Miss Bulstrode," Poppy called over her trainee healer, Millicent, who'd been standing nearby just in case. "Run diagnostic scans on all of them."

"Poppy?" Minerva McGonagall approached the Mediwitch, who'd begun scanning another body, and enquired with a shaky voice, "are they...?"

"They're alive, Minerva, but they're in comas," Poppy's voice was just as shaky as she moved to another, "with proper care, they _should_ be fine."

"The girl... she healed everyone on the grounds... and brought everyone else back to life?"

Minerva didn't wait for a response, she quickly rounded up the people who were capable and searched all the Death Eaters and all of Voldemort's followers. Thankfully, none of them - alive or dead - had been healed or brought back.

Once all the Death Eaters had been taken away, Minerva swept back into the Hall and stood staring gratefully at the students and Aurors who'd given their lives for The Greater Good, Returned completely healed or on the mend.

A wave of vertigo washed over her and she found her arm caught by a concerned Harry Potter, who was bowled over by the sight of tears in her eyes.

"Professor, are you alright?"

Minerva said nothing as she raced from the castle - Harry Potter close behind - to the shores of the Black Lake.

 **A/N - I had to do it, just this one time, bring everyone who died on the grounds (Of course, NOT Death Eaters) back to life. EVERYONE. So if a dead body had been moved from Hogwarts or surrounding grounds before Jasmine's altered spell, they would have remained dead. A completely destroyed body, however, would not be healed nor the soul returned.**

 **In case anyone was wondering about how Jasmine's power works, think of the Mutant Bishop.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Annatalia's Place was, not so surprisingly, quiet tonight. Ever since those strange commotions started happening a year ago, the usual nightly customers had dwindled significantly.

People had been going missing or been found dead with no cause for why or how they'd died. Even one of Annatalia's best workers and her entire family had disappeared without a trace.

"Miss Anna, can you break up a Fifty for me?"

"Give it here," Miss Anna sighed, and took the fifty pound bill to her small office space on the side of the cash register.

Chione was a brand new worker, and the girl had yet to learn how to finesse smaller change from thoughtless customers. She was a sweetie-pie though, and Anna's loyal customers loved the happy and vivacious teenager.

Counting out the singles, Anna kept one ear on the happenings by the register, so when she heard the word 'Jasmine', she was back on the frontline in a flash before the girl had a chance to call for her; absently handing the money to Chione, she took stock of the young man asking for Jasmine's whereabouts.

Handsome, well-dressed and obviously monied; she didn't recognise him, so he definitely wasn't a frequent customer... if he'd ever been to the diner before.

"I don't make it a habit of giving out private information about my employees, young man, even those who don't work here no more."

"It's really important that I find her."

"Can't help you... sorry."

"I understand. Thanks anyway."

Once the young man left, she signalled Chione to wipe down the tables while the place was empty. Feeling sluggish, she poured herself some coffee and went back to her office.

From the open doorway, she could see that Chione was back behind the counter, giving it a thorough sanitizing.

"Here you go, try to make it last. You gotta ask these people for smaller change every now and then, or they'd start makin' it a habit of bringin' a fifty pound bill for a fifty pence doughnut."

Chione frowned at the stack of notes, confused.

"You already changed it for me remember? When you were talking to that guy."

"What guy?"

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

"I don't want that little bastard anywhere near our daughter, Ororo."

Logan and his family were at their isolated home in the mountains for the summer holidays. They chose it specifically for Ororo to tutor Jazzy and their adopted son in basic magick.

"Logan, please. The young man just wants the opportunity to apologise, and Jasmine says she'll hear him out."

"Jasmine is seventeen, she doesn't get a say. Besides, she's always with that other wizard, do we really need another one hangin' around our little girl?"

"Our daughter has been through a traumatic experience, love and like it or not, it's changed her... aged her. Jazzy is doing a lot better since she joined Xavier's school; it's time we learn how to let her make her own decisions."

Logan grumbled and slouched into the sofa, "But did she have to shave her hair off, or get piercings and tattoos? My little princess is turnin' into a bald pin cushion."

"So she pierced her nose and got a cool tattoo of her new codename, it's not that bad. Plus, she's not bald, it's called a TWA, a teeny weeny afro. She's still your gorgeous little princess, Logan."

Logan sighed and pulled his wife onto his lap. "I know she is... babe, it's just hard seeing all these extra stuff she's doing to her body, in order to heal her mind. She doesn't talk to me anymore, not like she used to, and when we do get to spend some time together, it's awkward and rushed. Like she hates bein' around me."

Ororo brushed her fingers through his hair and rained soft kisses on his face.

"She'll come around, my love. Jazzy loves you and..." Ororo lifted his favourite coffee cup, "you're the ' _bestest daddy in the whole wide world_ ' to her and always will be. Give her time, baby."

Logan crushed his wife to him, still amazed at how much she loved him, and reminded of how much he loved her and their family.

"I'll try not to kill the boy when he gets here," he grumbled into the curve of her neck.

"I guess that's all I can ask."

Ororo shrieked with laughter when he munched playfully on her neck.

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

"There better be diamonds in those roses, punk. Is that what you think my daughter's worth, bub? The price of stripped plants that are gonna be dead in a few days?"

"U-um... well... s-sir-"

"Logan?" A voice sounded from inside the house, and Harry sighed in relief when the blades retracted into the man's knuckles, and he disappeared inside.

"Nothing, Ororo! It's just that boy, come to see Jazzy."

Harry tapped frantically away at the dew drops on each rose and was shoving them at the woman who came to the door.

"A-actually, these are for you Mrs Howlett, I just wanted to thank you for letting me through your Wards and giving me the chance to talk with your daughter."

"Oh, thank you, Mr Potter. These are lovely; come in," Ororo signalled for Harry to follow her, "Jasmine's in the back with her little brother."

Harry followed Mrs Howlett through their living room. He gulped when she paused to place the diamond-studded roses in a vase on the counter next to her husband, who was calmly sharpening the blades protruding from his knuckles and glaring at him.

"Stop that," she kissed the cheek of her husband - who didn't break his menacing glare - and took Harry's arm, leading him out a side door, "don't pay him any mind Mr Potter, those blades never need sharpening."

Harry blanched, but nodded with an uneasy smile. A child's laughter caught his attention then, easing his apprehension. Mrs Howlett had taken him to a clearing in their backyard; he gazed around, awed at the tall trees circling the entire house, reminding him a bit of his time spent with Hermione in the Forest of Dean.

"Look Jazzy, look! I catched a dragonfly. Let's go make a potion."

"You _caught_ a dragonfly, S-"

"Shea! Jasmine!" Mrs Howlett called out to the voices in the trees somewhere ahead. The voices quieted instantly, then Harry heard their approach before he spotted two forms coming out of the trees.

"Mum, can Jazzy and I make a potion?"

"Niceties first, Shea. Mr Harry Potter, this is my son Shea; Shea, this is Mr Harry Potter."

"It's nice to meet you, Shea and you can call me Harry."

Shea didn't say anything as he stared blankly back at him, before turning back to Mrs Howlett.

"So I have to wait?"

"You sure do, honey, and since Jazzy is busy right now, how about you help me start making dinner?"

Harry's eyes were constantly drawn to the girl, but she had yet to look up at him, as she watched her little brother with a small tilt of her lips. A part of him wanted her to look at him, and smile encouragingly the way she did at the diner; he wanted her to acknowledge him. He wanted to go back to that night when they'd planned a date for after her shift was over.

 _I don't deserve her acknowledgement,_ he thought to himself, as a list of his sins against her scrolled through his mind.

Though it had been unintentional, he _had_ led Voldemort and his Death Eaters straight to her, and the second he'd returned to the wizarding world, he'd forgotten that she'd even existed. With a sad sigh, he released any preconceived notions of courting her, and again turned his attention to her little brother, now glaring up at him.

The little frown was so familiar, that he felt a wave of regret for the one and only soul unable to Return, like the others.

"I don't like you, _Mr Potter_."

"Shea! That's rude..." Mrs Howlett was cut off by Harry's laughter.

The frown, the instant dislike and his name spat like a curse were so like _**Him**_ , Harry couldn't help but feel like the world was as it should be once more.

"Are you laughing at me?" Little arms folded and Harry bent double at the stitch in his side. "Cuz my daddy says that if anyone laughs at me I'm supposed to tell him."

"I... I'm sorry, I swear I'm not laughing at you," Harry said kneeling in front of the boy, holding in a laughter and a sob he hoped the ladies hadn't noticed, "it's just that you remind me of someone I knew a long time ago."

Curiosity flooded the widened eyes, "Who?" Shea asked.

Harry smiled wistfully at the familiar dark eyes.

"The bravest man I ever knew."

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

"When I begged your mum to see you, to apologise, I know now that I was being as selfish and as foolish as I've always acted. I want to beg for your forgiveness and I want to apologise for as long as it takes; yet, I know it's not enough. What you did for us, all of us, at Hogwarts...Merlin! I'm never going to be able to make up for what I've done, am I?"

Jasmine had taken Harry to the gazebo further into the trees, and now she sat silently, as he slowly paced in front of her and tried to... apologise?... explain? Surprisingly, it seemed as if even he didn't know, and inexplicably, her annoyance, her anger and even her indifference dissolved to nothing.

"I'm sorry, Jasmine. I'm so sorry; for my stupidity in coming to you when I knew I was a target, and that anyone close to me would be in the most danger. I'm sorry for... I can't even explain what happened... but I'm sorry for forgetting about you. When I saw Dumbledore, I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye, but I thought he would bring me back and we could go on that date; then... I forgot about you... completely, and when I saw you in that clearing, surrounded by all those Death Eaters..." Harry brushed back his hair in frustration as he stopped in front of her, "I'm not saying this right..."

"Harry..." when he looked at her, Jasmine patted the seat next to her and he sat with his elbows on his knees and his head bowed, "what I went through... that experience... I wouldn't wish it on anyone, but it made me stronger mentally, and especially physically and magickally.

"I will admit that I'd been so disappointed when you didn't come back, and I felt like a fool, but I believe things happen for a reason, and though I don't believe you did anything to me on purpose and there's no need for you to apologise... I forgive you, Harry. My big brother once told me that sometimes - if we want to go forward in life and fulfil our destiny - we have no choice because there's only one path available to us; but there are those, rare and valuable occasions when we do have a choice with multiple roads open before us. I believe it was a good thing that we didn't meet up that night."

"You're probably right. I might not have been able to learn all I did that night, and even worse, Death Eaters might have ambushed us... I was being really careless that summer."

"Of course I'm right and frankly, I think we'll make better friends anyway," Jasmine grinned at Harry's relieved smile, "besides, I've been seeing someone, whose support has been so invaluable, I don't even know what I would have done without him, and as gorgeous as you are, I'm sure you have girls just aching to know _The Chosen One_."

Harry brushed the back of his neck, still embarrassed by that moniker. "Yeah, it's hard to figure out who's genuine and who's not."

"Well, what are brand new, tentative friends for? Let's start at the beginning; tell me all about that tosser, Harry Potter."

 **~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~**

Harry walked beside Jasmine as she took him to the apparation point. They'd spent a couple of hours just talking and getting to know each other, and he felt lighter than he'd been in a long while.

The knowledge that they could be friends was reassuring to him; they'd both clearly needed closure from their brief, yet life-changing, encounter.

"I'm glad you came, Harry, and thank you for telling me about the auction on Professor Snape's books. I'm sure he has rare collections even mum hasn't read."

"I'll write you when I learn more from the Goblins... see if I can get them to hold the books for you."

At the apparation point, they both stood silently, the moment... bitter-sweet.

"I hope there's a reality out there where I wasn't such an idiot," Harry said, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

"Oh, I think there is... and Professor Snape loves you like a son there too."

With a lighthearted chuckle at Harry's face, as he tried to wrap his mind around the possibility, Jasmine touched his arm lightly.

"Keep in touch, Harry."

"I will, Jasmine." With a nod to her, he disapparated.

She turned and began the two-minute trek back to the front gate when the sound of apparation had her spinning around.

The sight of her boyfriend's smiling features made her heart soar and she ran into his arms.

"Draco..."


	7. Chapter 7

**Epilogue**

 _Morire - Realm of the Sentry Of Eras_

The valley was dark, bereft of colour or plant life. A black substance undulated along the ground while rocky platforms - resting places of Morire's only native lifeforms - floated overhead. The Vuloth were large, pale flying creatures with moth-like black wings so fragile, the shed wings of the dead or dying creatures coated the ground like dust.

Dark combat boots were trudged confidently along the valley, disturbing the remains of the Vuloths' wings. A long black cloak billowed around leather-clad legs, their lengthy strides taking The Sentry to the far end of the valley, where a cloud of mist and dust - reminiscent of a dark nebula - formed a gateway.

The lilting cry of one of the Vuloth - the sound was more a combination of a growl and a moan, and disconcerting to most - that had been lounging on a platform, drew eyes of midnight blue, so dark, most people assumed they were black.

Long, strands of white hair with soft silky curls framed the smooth aristocratic and deceptively youthful features of the man calmly striding toward the gateway.

"Relax, Vordan." Deep velvety tones, spoken softly, echoed around the valley to the beast chiding him. "You worry too much, my friend, you've seen me do this at least a million times."

The Sentry stopped close to the gateway; the cloud eddied slowly, undisturbed by his proximity until he thought of what he needed, then the mists and dust whirled to create an opening to Nothing. He tipped his head to Vordan and stepped through the gateway, allowing it to close behind him before he embraced the darkness.

Soren Severus Snape now stood on the peripheral of his mother's new reality; here, at this very moment, was a turning point in his stepsister's - Jasmine's - life.

He wanted to twitch his index finger and make everything right for his little sister, but this was a fixed point in Jasmine's life; only she had the power to change her destiny for good or ill, and he couldn't even tell her. All he could do was guide her at opportune moments.

Here, on the peripheral, he could observe the impact of any decisions his sister made; what he hadn't expected, was the ripple effect The Chosen One's decision - to not pursue Jasmine - had on her future.

Soren alone, saw the wave of colourful ripples; simultaneously, he witnessed the instant Transmogrification of the minds, bodies and souls of The Chosen One, Logan, Jasmine and even his mother - only because Ororo was in the physical world would this happen to her - Shea alone was unaffected, as his chosen path was under the protection of the Sentry Of Eras.

Soren glanced forward in time, and the weight of a thousand realities lifted off his shoulders. Omnipotence... it was overrated, even when you chose only a few souls to watch over.

Soren peaked at Severus Snape's a.k.a. Shea's life in the distant future and smiled. He remembered their short conversation after the potion had completed its job.

 **Soren stepped into the physical world and observed Severus Snape. This Severus was not Soren's father, but they were so similar, he couldn't help but observe the man whenever he - Soren - visited his mother and her family.**

 **He'd never looked at this Severus' future; he'd wanted to be surprised... 'be careful what you wish for' is a term known throughout the multiverse.**

 **The boy was looking down at his body in horror; this was not what Severus had been expecting. Oh, he'd been expecting to become a child again, what he hadn't expected...**

 **"Hello, Severus."**

 **Soren blinked at the quick reaction as the Stunner shot at him from the body of what looked like a toddler. The spell hit his shield, but it had actually made him stumble back. He hadn't been so impressed in a long time.**

 **"Soren?" The voices coming from the lips of the boy made Soren's hair stand on end. It reminded him of times long passed when he would watch horror movies with his Uncle Woovine... u-uh... Wolverine. "son... our... their, my son."**

 **Soren knelt in front of the boy, and tiny hands cupped his face.**

 **"Dad?"**

 **"We...I... I am here, Soren. W-what is happening... can't focus?"**

 **What had happened was that all the souls in the multiverse, of the man known as Severus Snape, that had moved on from the physical world, were Returned and crammed into this tiny body.**

 **A glimpse of the future and Soren saw the tiny body being torn apart and reformed over and over; the combined magickal powers and memories obviously too much for the body of a toddler to handle. If Severus had travelled the multiverse and through time, ageing and learning - as Soren and his mother had done - his souls merging eventually would have been the outcome. Severus, in a toddler's body, in the physical world... he would suffer for centuries... if he survived.**

 **Tears tracked down his face and Soren combed his fingers through the long black locks of his child-father.**

 **"Dad, I love you," a jerky nod was all he received, the souls were confused as one was pushed out for another, "I have to lock you all away for a while; this body has to age for a long... a long time. Dad?"**

 **"Tell... your mother. I love her. Now, Soren, before ...love you... son."**

Supremely glad he was in his god-form, so tears were impossible, Soren then focused on his little sister.

The disastrous relationship that his sister had courted in the future would never develop; as a result, the badly obliviated memories of her time with Dungeon Creep had been wiped away. She and her father would return to the close-knit relationship they'd had, confused as to why they'd even had difficulties.

Jasmine 'Infinity' Howlett would marry Draco Lucius Malfoy; the school they would build for magickally gifted mutants, rivalled even Hogwarts centuries later.

Harry Potter, The Chosen One, had a difficult few years ahead of him. Once he'd returned to the wizarding world, he was slipped a love potion for years by Ginevra Weasley, who bore him one offspring.

Who could ever love a Beast? Well, that would be Hermione Granger whom Hank decided he would court, after their years of friendship and Ronald Weasley's inability to satisfy her intellect.

Gratified that time and the multiverse were balanced once again, Soren returned to Morire. His familiar stood at the doorway waiting anxiously.

"Vordan, you mother-hen," feelers traced over his head and face, and he smirked, "let's go flying."

 **The End**


End file.
